All Things Jesuit

Father Kelly on “Why Sister Jean and Father Rob Matter”

March 28, 2018

In this season of shining moments, busted brackets and madness as far as the eye can see, our very own Pat Kelly, S.J., reminds us that sport, at its best, is about so much more than winning and losing.

Two teams in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament’s Final Four are Catholic schools with chaplains who are getting national attention. In a column appearing in diocesan newspapers around the country, Father Kelly, associate professor of theology and religious studies, writes about how Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt of Loyola University Chicago—a sister Jesuit institution—and Father Rob Hagan of Villanova University are making contributions that go beyond success in competition.

Father Kelly has published extensively on the relationship between sports and spirituality, including the books Catholic Perspectives on Sports: From Medieval to Modern Times and Youth Sport and Spirituality: Catholic Perspectives.